諺語 · a single proverb
門可羅雀
Simplified: 门可罗雀
What does 門可羅雀 (mén kě luó què) mean?
門可羅雀 (mén kě luó què) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "sparrows could be netted at the gate." In use it means: So few visitors that birds nest in the doorway; the loneliness of fallen status. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Horse.
Literally: "sparrows could be netted at the gate."
The reading
The door used to be crowded. Now the sparrows have moved in because nobody is walking through it anymore. The traffic correlated with the title, not the person. The person is the same. The title is gone. And the sparrows are the most honest commentators on what the traffic was actually visiting.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Ji An 汲黯 Zheng Dangshi 鄭當時 biography
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Horse, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 門可羅雀 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 門可羅雀 (mén kě luó què) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Records of the Grand Historian 史記, Ji An 汲黯 Zheng Dangshi 鄭當時 biography. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 門可羅雀?
In Mandarin it is mén kě luó què. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 門可羅雀 aloud in Mandarin.